The wished comeback
The wished comeback
By Janne Aittoniemi
Michael Schumacher tested Ferrari on Mugello's track in September 2000. Sauber was also allowed to participate in the same test because it was Ferrari's engine-customer.
They still remember in F1-circles how Schumacher wondered over Sauber's pace. He had no idea about who was driving the car but he decided to go and take a look. Schumacher was very surprised when hearing that there's a young Finn driving the Sauber-car, a guy who has never before drove a F1-car. I guess Schumacher would have been speechless had he also known that the 20-years old youngster had raced only 23 races with formula-cars and never before with a car faster than Formula Renault.
A year later Ferrari was already trying to get Räikkönen to their team. Many would undoubtedly had signed the contract with the world's most famous racing team but Räikkönen could afford to say no thank you. He knew that he could only have had a #2 status in the team that was built around Schumacher.
At that point McLaren was a much more tempting offer. Ron Dennis had set his eyes on Räikkönen already before the beginning of the season had ended. In the end Dennis also got Räikkönen's signature in a multi-year contract. Mika Häkkinen made room for Kimi.
Despite McLaren's promises they could never offer Räikkönen a car that would be so good that he would have won the WDC with it. He lost two WDCs because of problems in reliability.
Six years after the test in Mugello, di Montezemolo told Schumacher that if he wants he can stay but Räikkönen is coming next season. Montezemelo didn't promise Schumacher an automatic #1 status, hence the German drew his own conclusions and decided to retire.
Räikkönen won the WDC in his first Ferrari-season but his most sensational performances came from the times in McLaren.
Real fans remember small situations where Räikkönen's bravery and cold nerves surfaced in a spectacular way. It was Räikkönen, who in Spa went flat out through a smoke cloud without practically seeing anything or knowing where the driver who broke his engine was driving.
Who would have thought that Räikkönen and Schumacher start in Australian GP 2012 - eleven and a half year after the famous test in Mugello.
Last summer Räikkönen made a decision people didn't believe in anymore. He decided to come back to F1-serie, from where he had two years earlier left bored with the sport's political game, boring PR-events and the same questions reporters always asked. In May Räikkönen had drove two Nascar-races in US. After them he started to think about the continuance of his career.
The atmosphere in Nascar and WRC were laid-back enough for Räikkönen, however he still missed something from the place he had according to many left too early.
"I wanted to go back to F1 because I got tired of racing only against the time, like they do in rally. Now it feels like I would have come back home.", Räikkönen justified to the international media in Zürich.
"When driving Nascar I noticed that I have missed real and visible opponents. After that I called my manager and asked him to look for some interesting options in F1."
On 29th of November Lotus confirmed that they had made a contract with Räikkönen. Before that he had been strongly connected to Williams, and both parties had negotiated seriously over a contract.
Williams wanted Räikkönen also because they believed they would get with his help a substantial sponsor-support from Qatar and possibly even from Saudi-Arabia.
Räikkönen's managers David and Steve Robertson were seen in Williams' premises in Abu Dhabi GP in November.
"We negotiated for a long time with Williams but just couldn't come up with a contract" Kimi said.
Räikkönen and Robertsons went quickly to Plan B, which meant Lotus. They had negotiated with Lotus-Renault's bosses already in 2010, but Räikkönen got mad when team manager Eric Bouillier leaked out information in the publicity. Räikkönen felt like the team was using him.
"I am very disappointed in the way they have used my name for their own marketing" Räikkönen told Turun Sanomat in October 2010.
"At no point have I even thought seriously about driving in Renault and I can assure you 100% that I am not driving in Renault next year. My managers were weeks ago once in contact with Renault's team manager. That's all" Räikkönen continued.
Lotus-Renault wasn't short of driver candidates but especially Gerard Lopez wanted Räikkönen. He understood that the team needs a real star driver who returns the interest of sponsors.
Even after season 2010 Lotus-Renault intended to build the team around Kubica. They wanted to make him indisputable #1 driver. Of course the team acknowledged that Kubica could well jump to Ferrari.
"We lost the system which we had built around Kubica. That's why last season was very frustrating. Kimi has brought new energy to the team", Bouillier said in Jerez testing.
Räikkönen will bring a different kind of leadership to Lotus than Kubica, who was very demanding and didn't cover up his dissatisfaction. Now they have a WDC in the team and that already has a positive impact.
"It's probably a matter of emotional things. Even before we told about Kimi's contract, people from our team stopped me and asked about him. In the factory Kimi's reputation walked ahead of him", Bouillier described.
Hiring Räikkönen was a gamble for Lotus but it would also had been a gamble if they hadn't taken him.
"Of course it's a gamble to make a contract with Kimi because he has been away for two years."
"When a top sportsman stops training, it takes time to get back on the same level. Kimi has already proved that he hasn't lost anything. Now it's only a question of how he gets the GP-weekend done", Bouillier thought.
The Lotus-crew wondered over Räikkönen's talent right in Valencia, when he got the chance to drive a two years old Renault for two days. His absence from F1 didn't show anywhere. Räikkönen set unbelievably even lap times right from the start.
"It felt in the neck but not more than before when coming to the season's first tests. I thought it would have hurt more", Kimi said after the opening test.
They have criticized Räikkönen's ability to give technical feedback every now and then during the years. When Räikkönen was switched to Fernando Alonso in McLaren, the team's engineer Mike Wilson immediately stroke.
"From Alonso we got more information about the car in one day than we got from Kimi in three years".
However Alan Permane, test-manager in Lotus, who has also worked with Alonso, was of a completely different opinion. He has followed Räikkönen's driving from very close during the last months.
"Kimi is extremely good because he can drive even and fast laptimes for a longer time. His feedback is also excellent. His knowledge about for example the engine and the differential gear is excellent", Permane has said.
Räikkönen is a person who divides opinions. It would be wrong to say that he is either loved or hated, because hate is yet a too negative word to describe anyone's feelings about Räikkönen.
There is a certain kind of rebelliousness and unexpectedness in Räikkönen. It fascinates. This winter the interest for Räikkönen has been bigger than ever before.
"We knew that Kimi is popular, but I'm really surprised over what kind of a positive hurly-burly his comeback has caused", Gerard Lopez said in Jerez.
Räikkönen doesn't even want to hear the word 'motivation' anymore, but he is certainly more motivated than he was during his last Ferrari-season. Back then his motivation wasn't weakened because of the poor car. However it is obvious that it has to have some kind of an impact on a driver, when his own team tries to get rid of him.
Räikkönen knew in the beginning of 2009 that Ferrari wanted Alonso to be the #1 driver the next season already. He would definitely had wanted to continue in Ferrari. The termination of the contract was a big hit for Räikkönen, although the compensation was good. It was 18 million dollars. However money didn't make him happy.
"When I see Ferrari on the track it doesn't have any impact on me. Driving in Ferrari was a great phase of my career but it's over and it didn't end well", Räikkönen opened up about his feelings for Ferrari.
"Things don't always go as you wish in life. At that time it was what happened to me but it's history and I don't regret anything".
Lotus is also a legendary brand. Driving in a car painted black and golden also brings nostalgic thoughts to Räikkönen.
"Many remember the coloring from 1970 and -80. I have watched from video when Senna has raced for Lotus. The coloring was quite exceptional back then already.".
Räikkönen didn't come back to F1 just because he missed it. Money also played a part in it, although Räikkönen doesn't lack money. He has earned over 200 million euros during his career. About a third of that goes to his managers. Räikkönen has many valuable estates and keeping them up takes a lot of money, he also often flies with a rented jet. His life is expensive.
"Of course money also matters. Driving is my work and I want to get paid for it, but I don't have to drive for money anymore. Enjoying the driving is the main thing".
Last year Räikkönen found himself from a situation where he had to pay for his driving for the first time in his career. He also understood that the rally-career was sort of over. He had already seen it, although he still enjoys rallies.
"I would be happy to drive both rally and F1 but it isn't possible at the moment."
"I had no expectations when I went to rally, but I'm completely satisfied with what I accomplished there. Of course I made mistakes and the car went in the forest at times but I never stressed over it. I paid for the whole thing myself."
"But rally drivers will also be in trouble if they are put in a F1-car".
"You see the same faces on the paddock like before. The cars look a bit different but driving is the same."
The comeback to F1-tracks have rarely brought a driver success after he has once retired. However Räikkönen is in many ways a special case.
Fonte: Veikkaaja (paper edition) / Tradução para o Inglês: Nicole
É sempre bom ler estes textos e tentar analisar como as pessoas mudam suas opiniões com relação a Kimi e sua carreira na F1. As dúvidas que muitos tinham e agora dizem que não tinham, como enxergavam o finlandês de uma forma menos respeitosa só porque o jeito dele de ser não está nos padrões que desejavam, enfim, coisas que nunca fizeram diferença para mim, porque nunca vi este Kimi negativo que a F1 pintava e que agora, só porque ele voltou, fica bajulando.
Mas o texto acima é bacana porque a gente que acompanha a carreira do Iceman há anos já sabia de tudo o que está escrito ali, e além disto, percebemos nas palavras do piloto, o que ele sente ou pensa sobre determinados assuntos, em especial, a forma como as coisas entre ele e a Ferrari terminaram.
"Quando eu vejo uma Ferrari na pista isto não tem impacto algum em mim. Pilotar uma Ferrari foi uma ótima fase da minha carreira, mas acabou e não terminou bem. As coisas não são sempre do jeito que a gente quer na vida. Na época, foi o que aconteceu comigo, mas já virou história e eu não me arrependo de nada".
Eu, como fã, ainda não assimilo as coisas tão bem como Räikkönen. Vivi muito intensamente os anos dele em Maranello e o final foi realmente doloroso (para mim, só comparável com o que vivi como quando Jacques saiu da F1 em 2003). Certas coisas ainda me atingem quando o nome dele e o da Ferrari aparecem juntos, não na pista, porque não foi na pista que a Ferrari fez mal à Kimi. E deixo claro também que o nome de Fernando Alonso nem entra nesta equação quando eu me refiro àquilo que me magoa dentro dos muros de Maranello.
O que me entristece desta história toda até hoje é saber que a torcida pela qual Kimi um dia foi querido, em sua maioria, o odiava de meados de 2008 até seus últimos dias como piloto ferrarista. Muitos podem colocar a culpa nele por sua saída da equipe italiana, mas não foi assim. Kimi fez o que podia para ajudar a Ferrari, nunca deixou de lutar, nunca se voltou contra ela, nunca a desmereceu como ela fez com ele. E hoje, quando vejo esta mesma equipe defendendo a imagem de Massa de todas as formas, dando chances e mais chances ao brasileiro, é impossível não lembrar e sentir uma tristeza por saber que por Kimi, eles não se importaram quando a mídia italiana o cruxificou perante o mundo, que é exatamente o que acontece com Felipe agora.
Mas a vida está aí para ajudar a gente a evoluir, ou pelo menos tentar... rsrsrs... E o tempo no WRC me ajudou demais, aprendi a aceitar as coisas de uma forma melhor, aprendi que tudo tem um propósito (mesmo que a gente sofra no meio do caminho), entendi que se aconteceu do jeito que foi, era porque tinha que ser. Infelizmente, o final que eu desejava para Kimi e a Ferrari não aconteceu, mas foi bom enquanto durou e eu tento, de todas as formas guardar os bons momentos.
Não tenho a capacidade de Räikkönen, mas eu tento, e seguirei tentando, porque como disse o Iceman, nem tudo na vida da gente sai como queremos, e vendo como a Lotus recebeu Kimi, pelo menos por enquanto, posso me dar o direito de aproveitar o momento agradável. Estes dois anos mais distante da F1 me ensinaram isto, a curtir o momento. Que na verdade, é a única coisa concreta que temos.
Beijinhos, Ludy
By Janne Aittoniemi
Michael Schumacher tested Ferrari on Mugello's track in September 2000. Sauber was also allowed to participate in the same test because it was Ferrari's engine-customer.
They still remember in F1-circles how Schumacher wondered over Sauber's pace. He had no idea about who was driving the car but he decided to go and take a look. Schumacher was very surprised when hearing that there's a young Finn driving the Sauber-car, a guy who has never before drove a F1-car. I guess Schumacher would have been speechless had he also known that the 20-years old youngster had raced only 23 races with formula-cars and never before with a car faster than Formula Renault.
A year later Ferrari was already trying to get Räikkönen to their team. Many would undoubtedly had signed the contract with the world's most famous racing team but Räikkönen could afford to say no thank you. He knew that he could only have had a #2 status in the team that was built around Schumacher.
At that point McLaren was a much more tempting offer. Ron Dennis had set his eyes on Räikkönen already before the beginning of the season had ended. In the end Dennis also got Räikkönen's signature in a multi-year contract. Mika Häkkinen made room for Kimi.
Despite McLaren's promises they could never offer Räikkönen a car that would be so good that he would have won the WDC with it. He lost two WDCs because of problems in reliability.
Six years after the test in Mugello, di Montezemolo told Schumacher that if he wants he can stay but Räikkönen is coming next season. Montezemelo didn't promise Schumacher an automatic #1 status, hence the German drew his own conclusions and decided to retire.
Räikkönen won the WDC in his first Ferrari-season but his most sensational performances came from the times in McLaren.
Real fans remember small situations where Räikkönen's bravery and cold nerves surfaced in a spectacular way. It was Räikkönen, who in Spa went flat out through a smoke cloud without practically seeing anything or knowing where the driver who broke his engine was driving.
Who would have thought that Räikkönen and Schumacher start in Australian GP 2012 - eleven and a half year after the famous test in Mugello.
Last summer Räikkönen made a decision people didn't believe in anymore. He decided to come back to F1-serie, from where he had two years earlier left bored with the sport's political game, boring PR-events and the same questions reporters always asked. In May Räikkönen had drove two Nascar-races in US. After them he started to think about the continuance of his career.
The atmosphere in Nascar and WRC were laid-back enough for Räikkönen, however he still missed something from the place he had according to many left too early.
"I wanted to go back to F1 because I got tired of racing only against the time, like they do in rally. Now it feels like I would have come back home.", Räikkönen justified to the international media in Zürich.
"When driving Nascar I noticed that I have missed real and visible opponents. After that I called my manager and asked him to look for some interesting options in F1."
On 29th of November Lotus confirmed that they had made a contract with Räikkönen. Before that he had been strongly connected to Williams, and both parties had negotiated seriously over a contract.
Williams wanted Räikkönen also because they believed they would get with his help a substantial sponsor-support from Qatar and possibly even from Saudi-Arabia.
Räikkönen's managers David and Steve Robertson were seen in Williams' premises in Abu Dhabi GP in November.
"We negotiated for a long time with Williams but just couldn't come up with a contract" Kimi said.
Räikkönen and Robertsons went quickly to Plan B, which meant Lotus. They had negotiated with Lotus-Renault's bosses already in 2010, but Räikkönen got mad when team manager Eric Bouillier leaked out information in the publicity. Räikkönen felt like the team was using him.
"I am very disappointed in the way they have used my name for their own marketing" Räikkönen told Turun Sanomat in October 2010.
"At no point have I even thought seriously about driving in Renault and I can assure you 100% that I am not driving in Renault next year. My managers were weeks ago once in contact with Renault's team manager. That's all" Räikkönen continued.
Lotus-Renault wasn't short of driver candidates but especially Gerard Lopez wanted Räikkönen. He understood that the team needs a real star driver who returns the interest of sponsors.
Even after season 2010 Lotus-Renault intended to build the team around Kubica. They wanted to make him indisputable #1 driver. Of course the team acknowledged that Kubica could well jump to Ferrari.
"We lost the system which we had built around Kubica. That's why last season was very frustrating. Kimi has brought new energy to the team", Bouillier said in Jerez testing.
Räikkönen will bring a different kind of leadership to Lotus than Kubica, who was very demanding and didn't cover up his dissatisfaction. Now they have a WDC in the team and that already has a positive impact.
"It's probably a matter of emotional things. Even before we told about Kimi's contract, people from our team stopped me and asked about him. In the factory Kimi's reputation walked ahead of him", Bouillier described.
Hiring Räikkönen was a gamble for Lotus but it would also had been a gamble if they hadn't taken him.
"Of course it's a gamble to make a contract with Kimi because he has been away for two years."
"When a top sportsman stops training, it takes time to get back on the same level. Kimi has already proved that he hasn't lost anything. Now it's only a question of how he gets the GP-weekend done", Bouillier thought.
The Lotus-crew wondered over Räikkönen's talent right in Valencia, when he got the chance to drive a two years old Renault for two days. His absence from F1 didn't show anywhere. Räikkönen set unbelievably even lap times right from the start.
"It felt in the neck but not more than before when coming to the season's first tests. I thought it would have hurt more", Kimi said after the opening test.
They have criticized Räikkönen's ability to give technical feedback every now and then during the years. When Räikkönen was switched to Fernando Alonso in McLaren, the team's engineer Mike Wilson immediately stroke.
"From Alonso we got more information about the car in one day than we got from Kimi in three years".
However Alan Permane, test-manager in Lotus, who has also worked with Alonso, was of a completely different opinion. He has followed Räikkönen's driving from very close during the last months.
"Kimi is extremely good because he can drive even and fast laptimes for a longer time. His feedback is also excellent. His knowledge about for example the engine and the differential gear is excellent", Permane has said.
Räikkönen is a person who divides opinions. It would be wrong to say that he is either loved or hated, because hate is yet a too negative word to describe anyone's feelings about Räikkönen.
There is a certain kind of rebelliousness and unexpectedness in Räikkönen. It fascinates. This winter the interest for Räikkönen has been bigger than ever before.
"We knew that Kimi is popular, but I'm really surprised over what kind of a positive hurly-burly his comeback has caused", Gerard Lopez said in Jerez.
Räikkönen doesn't even want to hear the word 'motivation' anymore, but he is certainly more motivated than he was during his last Ferrari-season. Back then his motivation wasn't weakened because of the poor car. However it is obvious that it has to have some kind of an impact on a driver, when his own team tries to get rid of him.
Räikkönen knew in the beginning of 2009 that Ferrari wanted Alonso to be the #1 driver the next season already. He would definitely had wanted to continue in Ferrari. The termination of the contract was a big hit for Räikkönen, although the compensation was good. It was 18 million dollars. However money didn't make him happy.
"When I see Ferrari on the track it doesn't have any impact on me. Driving in Ferrari was a great phase of my career but it's over and it didn't end well", Räikkönen opened up about his feelings for Ferrari.
"Things don't always go as you wish in life. At that time it was what happened to me but it's history and I don't regret anything".
Lotus is also a legendary brand. Driving in a car painted black and golden also brings nostalgic thoughts to Räikkönen.
"Many remember the coloring from 1970 and -80. I have watched from video when Senna has raced for Lotus. The coloring was quite exceptional back then already.".
Räikkönen didn't come back to F1 just because he missed it. Money also played a part in it, although Räikkönen doesn't lack money. He has earned over 200 million euros during his career. About a third of that goes to his managers. Räikkönen has many valuable estates and keeping them up takes a lot of money, he also often flies with a rented jet. His life is expensive.
"Of course money also matters. Driving is my work and I want to get paid for it, but I don't have to drive for money anymore. Enjoying the driving is the main thing".
Last year Räikkönen found himself from a situation where he had to pay for his driving for the first time in his career. He also understood that the rally-career was sort of over. He had already seen it, although he still enjoys rallies.
"I would be happy to drive both rally and F1 but it isn't possible at the moment."
"I had no expectations when I went to rally, but I'm completely satisfied with what I accomplished there. Of course I made mistakes and the car went in the forest at times but I never stressed over it. I paid for the whole thing myself."
"But rally drivers will also be in trouble if they are put in a F1-car".
"You see the same faces on the paddock like before. The cars look a bit different but driving is the same."
The comeback to F1-tracks have rarely brought a driver success after he has once retired. However Räikkönen is in many ways a special case.
Fonte: Veikkaaja (paper edition) / Tradução para o Inglês: Nicole
É sempre bom ler estes textos e tentar analisar como as pessoas mudam suas opiniões com relação a Kimi e sua carreira na F1. As dúvidas que muitos tinham e agora dizem que não tinham, como enxergavam o finlandês de uma forma menos respeitosa só porque o jeito dele de ser não está nos padrões que desejavam, enfim, coisas que nunca fizeram diferença para mim, porque nunca vi este Kimi negativo que a F1 pintava e que agora, só porque ele voltou, fica bajulando.
Mas o texto acima é bacana porque a gente que acompanha a carreira do Iceman há anos já sabia de tudo o que está escrito ali, e além disto, percebemos nas palavras do piloto, o que ele sente ou pensa sobre determinados assuntos, em especial, a forma como as coisas entre ele e a Ferrari terminaram.
"Quando eu vejo uma Ferrari na pista isto não tem impacto algum em mim. Pilotar uma Ferrari foi uma ótima fase da minha carreira, mas acabou e não terminou bem. As coisas não são sempre do jeito que a gente quer na vida. Na época, foi o que aconteceu comigo, mas já virou história e eu não me arrependo de nada".
Eu, como fã, ainda não assimilo as coisas tão bem como Räikkönen. Vivi muito intensamente os anos dele em Maranello e o final foi realmente doloroso (para mim, só comparável com o que vivi como quando Jacques saiu da F1 em 2003). Certas coisas ainda me atingem quando o nome dele e o da Ferrari aparecem juntos, não na pista, porque não foi na pista que a Ferrari fez mal à Kimi. E deixo claro também que o nome de Fernando Alonso nem entra nesta equação quando eu me refiro àquilo que me magoa dentro dos muros de Maranello.
O que me entristece desta história toda até hoje é saber que a torcida pela qual Kimi um dia foi querido, em sua maioria, o odiava de meados de 2008 até seus últimos dias como piloto ferrarista. Muitos podem colocar a culpa nele por sua saída da equipe italiana, mas não foi assim. Kimi fez o que podia para ajudar a Ferrari, nunca deixou de lutar, nunca se voltou contra ela, nunca a desmereceu como ela fez com ele. E hoje, quando vejo esta mesma equipe defendendo a imagem de Massa de todas as formas, dando chances e mais chances ao brasileiro, é impossível não lembrar e sentir uma tristeza por saber que por Kimi, eles não se importaram quando a mídia italiana o cruxificou perante o mundo, que é exatamente o que acontece com Felipe agora.
Mas a vida está aí para ajudar a gente a evoluir, ou pelo menos tentar... rsrsrs... E o tempo no WRC me ajudou demais, aprendi a aceitar as coisas de uma forma melhor, aprendi que tudo tem um propósito (mesmo que a gente sofra no meio do caminho), entendi que se aconteceu do jeito que foi, era porque tinha que ser. Infelizmente, o final que eu desejava para Kimi e a Ferrari não aconteceu, mas foi bom enquanto durou e eu tento, de todas as formas guardar os bons momentos.
Não tenho a capacidade de Räikkönen, mas eu tento, e seguirei tentando, porque como disse o Iceman, nem tudo na vida da gente sai como queremos, e vendo como a Lotus recebeu Kimi, pelo menos por enquanto, posso me dar o direito de aproveitar o momento agradável. Estes dois anos mais distante da F1 me ensinaram isto, a curtir o momento. Que na verdade, é a única coisa concreta que temos.
Beijinhos, Ludy
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